This is so cliched that I’m embarrassed to write it, but…here comes the New Year and I need to lose some weight.

See, when I first moved to Boston I was all toned and tanned from my summer at Coon Rock Farm.  I took a light course load, spent a lot of time walking, and stayed fit for the first year I was here.  But this semester I let things get out of control.  I took six courses, I started a newspaper, I continued working for both of my internships long into the school year, and I started doing research for an ARS grant.  The only times this whole semester that I managed to get more than 5 feet away from my laptop were those times that I was at a bar.

With the lack of physical activity and the over consumption of booze it’s not all that surprising that I managed to gain 15 pounds in the past 6 months.   Even so, I was still a little shocked to see a 4 and a 0 staring up at me where a 2 and a 5 had previously stood.

With the goal of returning to my previous weight I joined a gym last week.  It’s costing me more than twice what my membership was in Greensboro, but that’s unsurprising because everything in Boston costs more than twice what it should.  In a way the price is a motivator because I feel like I need to work twice as hard as I normally would in order to get my money’s worth.

But what about food?  I’m sure many of you are thinking this, because it’s the second most frequent question readers email me (the first is: “if I start a blog will you link to my page?” or some variation on that theme).  Well, the honest truth is that I already eat just about the way I would recommend anyone to eat.  So, other than skipping the bar I’ll probably keep my diet about the same.  However, for those of you who want tips, here’s the Amy Diet:

1. Eat loads of fruits and vegetables.  Right now it’s winter and I’m on a big root veggie and leafy greens kick.  Both categories are versatile and delicious and fairly cheap.  For fruits I’m doing citrus (winter is citrus time, that’s why you traditionally get oranges in your stocking at Christmas), pomegranate, and frozen fruits mixed into stuff.  Fruits and vegetables are wonderful for many reasons.  They are full of fiber and water, which means they will make you feel full while not loading you up with calories.  Plus, they have way more vitamins and minerals than many processed foods, so if you’re determined to cut calories you can still get all the nutrients you need.
2. Eat less meat.  The Dietary Guidelines won’t say it, but I will: less less less.  I eat meat once or twice a week.  I try to think of this as an advantage rather than a limitation.  I figure since I’m eating less meat I can spend more money per pound and get better quality meat.  If you’re buying local, organic, free range chicken or grass-fed beef you honestly can’t (or rather I honestly can’t) afford much of it, but the taste is SO much better.  This week I had slow roasted grass-fed beef short ribs and pan seared fillets of locally caught monkfish.  Delicious!
3. Eat less dairy.  I don’t believe in low fat or “lite” dairy products; I’d rather eat the real stuff in smaller amounts.  This means that I do the same thing with dairy that I do with meat, reduce the amount and up the quality.  I eat whole-fat Greek yogurt once or twice a week for breakfast, use real butter and cheese when I cook, and look forward to something fancy like goat’s milk Gouda on crackers once a week as a treat.  Oh, and at the risk of losing a few job options when I graduate in May, don’t eat anything that comes out of a can or is safe to store at room temperature.  I don’t know what that stuff is, but it’s certainly not dairy.
4. Switch to whole grains…mostly.  Whole grains have more fiber, which means they make you feel more full when you eat them than their over-processed cousins.  I’ll admit openly that I’m not a big fan of whole wheat pasta (although Cook’s Illustrated ranks the best options in their latest issue, so that’s probably worth checking out) but I actually enjoy brown and wild rice better than white and haven’t eaten a slice of Wonder-bread since I was introduced to the oatmeal and 7-grain options back in college.
5. Don’t drink your calories.  This is the only hard and fast rule in my life: never ever ever drink soda.  Your body doesn’t realize that you’re gaining calories from it and while you’ll never feel full you’ll almost certainly gain weight.  I won’t act virtuous about it, I managed to get some weird taste bud gene variation that made me dislike all soda all the time.  Before bottled water became a hit in the U.S. this was actually a big problem for my family.  As a child I could never drink anything at fairs and festivals and my parents would have to remember to fill a large cup with ice at the beginning of the trip so that it would be melted by the time I got thirsty.  I do, however, drink alcohol, which is just as bad as soda.  I’ll write more about how alcohol is metabolized in my next post, but for now I’ll just recommend drinking in moderation and choosing beer or wine over sugary mixed drinks.
6. Limit your processed foods.  Food manufacturers are very smart and they engineer foods to satisfy an inborn craving we have for sugar, salt, and fat.  Unlike with drinking your calories, you can tell when you’re full from processed foods.  The problem is that you still won’t want to stop eating them, even if you’re so full you feel kind of ill.  While I limit my processed foods I’ve never managed to cut them out entirely.  I love Kettle brand Salt & Pepper chips.  About once a month I get a craving for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in the spiral shapes and for some reason no other food can fulfill me.  Even more rarely, in the 1-2 times a year range, I will eat a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese.  As long as you indulge rarely I see no reason to entirely drop something you enjoy.  If you have trouble with moderation when it comes to processed food either go cold turkey or remind yourself to check the nutrition information each time you eat it.
7. Eat slowly and stop when you’re full.  Blood sugar takes some time to catch up with your dinner.  By eating slowly without distractions like television or driving you give yourself a chance to notice the signals from your body before you eat way more than you need.  Eating with friends or family helps because conversation keeps you from plowing through a meal at top speed.
8. Eat breakfast.  The old adage is true: breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  For one, it gets you started on the right foot, you feel like you’ve eaten well so far, why wreck it now?  For another, when you eat breakfast you’re not so rip-roaring hungry that you’re willing to shove any old junk down your throat at lunch time.  I switch up my breakfast routine daily because I get too bored with it otherwise, but each one is quick so I can get out the door on time.  This week I’ve had oatmeal with chopped apples and walnuts, plain Greek yogurt with  microwaved frozen raspberries, and oatmeal bread with hummus and spinach (I know this last one is weird, but I was in a hurry).
9. Don’t stress about dessert, you can still eat it.  I’m not personally a dessert person myself; I’d rather have a couple of crackers with goat cheese or some Salt & Pepper chips.  But sweet or savory, the rule is that same and pretty common sense: quality not quantity.  First off, dole out a single serving size.  Don’t take the whole bag of chips or the whole carton of ice cream and tell yourself, “I’ll just have a bit or two.”  You won’t; you’ll eat until it’s gone.  Once you’ve figured a good serving size, start looking for a dessert that will really satisfy you.  Like chocolate?  Try a square or three of really excellent dark chocolate or a Lindor truffle.  Like ice cream?  Those golfball sized single serve containers of Ben and Jerry’s vanilla are just about perfect.  If you’re a salt fiend like me try some good quality cheese, a handful of Italian olives, or a small dish of toasted pecans.  The better the food the less you’ll need to feel satisfied.
10. Everything in moderation, including moderation. Dieting is hard.  Food isn’t just a way of refueling, it also comes with memories, culture and tradition, and community.  This makes changing the way we eat very difficult.  The thing to remember is that whole foods and less processed foods are generally better than processed ones and that each meal is a new start.  If you skip breakfast, try to have the same lunch you would have if you hadn’t forgotten.  If you eat a whole carton of ice cream don’t starve yourself the next day to make up for it.  Make changes to your diet slowly and don’t stress.  There are no hard and fast rules, just guidelines.